Fall 2009 Newsletter

We got an interesting new book in just the other day. It’s called “Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications.” The book has contributed chapters by people doing very creative things with spatial information. For example, there is a discussion about Google Earth and its use in social science research - problems found with georectification of imagery, differences in resolution in the tiling, and oddities in mapping census information. Other chapters deal with map animation, a discussion of the WorldMapper project’s innovative use of cartograms, and a critical evaluation of 3-D geographical visualization. The book includes plenty of good illustrations and references. Well worth looking at if you’re embarking on a mapping project and want to use new technology.

The newest mechanical visitor to Mars, the Phoenix Mars Lander, descends through the atmosphere on Sunday to land in the Martian Arctic. Dubbed the first of the “Scout Missions,” the lander will provide information that may answer questions such as: Can the Martian arctic support life, what is the history of water at the landing site, and how is the Martian climate affected by polar dynamics?

You can read more about the mission at the main project Web page. Local Bay Area events include:

* Mars: Fire & Ice at the The Crucible in Oakland. Live feed of the landing from NASA.
* Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland will host activities on Saturday and Sunday including a live feed of the event on Sunday afternoon.
* NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, will host a Sunday afternoon event with robotic demonstrations and pre-landing remarks from local scientists and engineers.

You can also watch the landing over the Internet by tuning into NASA tv at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Yosemite National Park, California. Cathedral Peak, viewed from Cathedral Pass, showing cut terrace. 1908. G.K. Gilbert. [via] USGS.

Visit us in person, or go to Branner’s Library Thing for a full list of books and maps on display.

We have additional copies of many of the display items available for you to take with you on your next Yosemite excursion.

* What you’re looking for
* How you use the information you find
* The words you use when you search for environmental information
* How you like to get your information (formats, styles, etc., as well as email vs. text vs. maps, etc.)
* Who you are (categories, not necessarily your name)

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The commenting period is open until the end of June.